John Eales is tipping the Wallabies to win, saying the Springboks don’t pose the threat of the All Blacks.

Morris Gilbert reports from Brisbane that former Wallabies and Reds captain Eales said the Boks would be bruising challenge, but technically they were not in the class of the All Blacks. He also singled out the Wallabies record against the Boks in Brisbane.

“My feeling is that the Wallabies will win on Saturday. They have not lost to the Springboks at Suncorp Stadium and this is a record they would like to retain,” said Eales, who questioned the front row of the Boks, much like Wallabies assistant coach Michael Foley did earlier in the week.

“The Springboks scrum well, but the All Blacks are by far the best in the world. They have succeeded in combining power, technique and experience in a winning formula instead of relying on size and weight only,” Eales said. “Graham Henry (the New Zealand coach) has realised you can be the best in the world only if you also dominate in the tight phases. The All Blacks then worked on their shortcomings and now they have the best pack in the world. I do not expect that the Springboks will subject the Wallaby front row to a stiffer test than the All Blacks did.”

Eales also felt the selection of Mat Giteau would give the Wallabies backs more variation and make them more dangerous.

“It was a clever move to select Matt Giteau at inside centre. He has recovered from his injury and has always been the logical choice at No 12. With him in midfield, things can happen more quickly because he is a very creative player.”